DBA Fundamentals March 2018

3 months into the year, we’ll keep March-ing on!

Words: 9503

Time to read: ~ 5 minutes

What’s On?

It’s already the 3rd month of the year!

If you are worried about failing on your New Year’s Resolution to keep learning then don’t worry! There are always blips in the road but we’ll be here to provide you learning content that you can enjoy!

Speaking of enjoyment, check out the below for what we have for you this month!

Sessions

If any of these catch your interest then hop onto dbafun.org and sign up to whatever and how ever many you want!

Common SQL Server Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

2018-03-13 11 am – 12pm CST

Making mistakes is natural, but learning from them and avoiding them in future takes effort. There’s no substitute for experience or the shared wisdom of others to help you learn what mistakes to avoid. In this session, Tim will share with you a ton of what he’s learned over the years from working and consulting at multiple Fortune-level companies. You’ll hear about real-world environments he has worked on where there was a high impact from administrators making mistakes in how SQL Server was configured and administered. You’ll learn many proven and accepted best practices for installing, configuring and supporting SQL Server to help your environment run as smoothly as possible and you’ll leave with a checklist of items to take home to make sure your SQL Server environment is configured properly.

Tim is a SQL Server MVP. He has presented at PASS, SQL Saturdays, user groups and numerous webinars. In addition Tim runs the Columbus GA SQL Users Group, is a PASS Regional Mentor and was named a PASS Outstanding Volunteer in 2012. He’s married with three children and has a passion for electronics. He also farms chickens (for eggs) and tilapias in his spare time. (Shane:I had to look up what “tilapias” were)

2018-03-20 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm AEST

Automatic Tuning and Adaptive Query Processing are perhaps the two key features of SQL Server 2017 and Azure SQL Database which would influence query optimizer’s plan choices. The following session will provide an overview of the features and explain how it can help to address performance issues like parameter sniffing, plan regressions, lack of indexes or too many indexes without any manual intervention and change of code.

Nagaraj Venkatesan is a Data Platform MVP from Singapore and the leader of Singapore SQL PASS Chapter. As a SQL Server enthusiast, Nagaraj is a regular speaker in Asia Pacific region at Data Platform events like SQL Saturdays, SQL Server Geeks Summit, User group meetups etc. Nagaraj shares his technical expertise at strictlysql.blogspot.com. Nagaraj also runs a YouTube channel called “DataChannel”, which contains technical interviews with top Microsoft Data Platform experts in the world.

What to Do When SQL Server is Slow

2018-03-20 11:30 am – 12:30 pm CST

Someone comes running in and asks, “Are you doing something on the SQL Server right now? Can you take a look at it? It seems really slow.”

It’s one of the most common complaints we get about our databases – and yet, most of us don’t have a written plan with what steps to take, in order.

I do this for a living, so I’ve had to make a written checklist to handle it. I’ll give you the exact same checklist I use, then walk you through several performance emergencies. I’ll show you how I use open source scripts like sp_WhoIsActive, sp_BlitzFirst, sp_BlitzCache, and more to find the root cause fast. We won’t cover performance tuning – our goal in this hour is just to have a written triage process so we don’t look like bumbling idiots. Let’s get good at this!

Brent Ozar loves to make SQL Server faster and more reliable. He created sp_Blitz and the SQL Server First Responder Kit, and he loves sharing knowledge at BrentOzar.com

Other Items

There are 2 codes coming out, 1 we already have below and 1 that is coming out on the 23rd of this month.

Use one of our codes and be entered in a contest to win an $500.00 Amazon Gift Card to be given away to one lucky person in September!

Check out the details below!

VGSTRM843

PASS Summit 2018 Discount Codes

Streaming

This code will get you streaming access to 2017 PASS summit sessions! – other code will get you $150.00 off full price. The $150.00 off code doesn’t come out until 03/23/18. Price goes up 03/23/2018 from 1699.00 to ???????. (not confirmed yet, but usually 2-300 dollars)

Streaming Code: VGSTRM843

Discount

This code will get you $150.00 off full price of PASS Summit 2018.
Currently the price is $1699.00 with it set to increase on 2018-03-23. We don’t know what it will increase to but, judging from past years, we’re expecting from $200 to $300 increase.

Expected to be released on 2018-03-23!

You can already register for the PASS Summit 2018 and knowing some of the reactions to last years Summit, I’d bet people already have! Don’t miss out on your place and register now!

2018 Quarter 1 & 2 Contest

You may have seen Steve mention the contest that we are doing for the first half of 2018. In case you haven’t it’s simple to catch up!

After the last session in June, the 19th to be exact, we are giving away 3 Amazon gift cards ranging from $1,000 down to $500 and $300.